Monday Menagerie #13

Lucky #13! We’ve got women who rock in television, courageous girls in Africa, female Viagra, coding for women’s health, and an operation that rescues and aids women and children in need. Come check out my very first Monday Menagerie! 😀

Jenji Kohan is taking television by storm. She is the writer and creator for top rated shows like Weeds, Orange Is the New Black, and The Stones, and she’s not stopping there; she continues to work hard on upcoming projects with HBO. Her artistic talents and hilarious drama series are making her popular fast, paving the road for other women in production and writing. Writers such as Mindy Kaling and Lena Dunham are proudly rising to the top of the charts because female voices and stories are wanting to be heard. This is awesome! And I love their shows 🙂

“When I was coming into the business, there was a feeling it was going to take another 100 years for women to get to a place that was anything like parity,” [says Sarah Treem, co-creator of Showtime’s “The Affair”] “We’re not there yet, but I think it is truly a wave of change. I’m proud and excited to be a tiny part of it.”

In Cameroon, young women as young as eight are unwillingly having their breasts ironed to reduce size. Their mothers perform various “procedures”; pressing down with hot spatulas, crushing them with rocks, or simply cutting them off. All of this pain and suffering is because the longer they can prolong their sexual maturing, the longer men will be less attracted to them. In doing this, mothers are trying to prevent their daughters from getting pregnant by making them unattractive so that they can receive an education. It breaks my heart that these girls have to endure such pain to simply go to school.

“My breasts finally began to grow when I was 18 years old. Before that, boys weren’t attracted to my body. I felt really bad about it. My grandmother began destroying my breast when I was 12 years old. I would try to run away from her every morning but she’d catch me. Other kids were going to school and I was being massaged with a hot rock. She did it twice a day for a year. Having breasts is natural, it’s human. When I didn’t have them, I felt like a boy.” –Agnès, 32 years old

Have no fear, women’s Viagra is HERE! I never thought about women having a “sexual desire disorder” but to my surprise, it is a valid medical condition which can lead to depression in 1 out of 10 women. Despite serious side effects (like most drugs) the FDA approved this “cure” for women with a low libido.. but is it really necessary?

There is an entirely different world out there that I was completely unfamiliar with until recently: The world of coding. Without making it insanely complicated, coding is essentially what makes it possible to create computer software, apps, and websites. In the computer workplace, women only make up about 26% of that work force. So when I stumbled across this article I was so excited to share it! A code-a-thon was held in New York City for one specific goal – Women’s health! And over 70% of participants were female. The goal of the Codeathon was to encourage a stronger female presence in coding and to develop apps based around women’s health and nutrition. And to stay true to their purpose, they only served healthy snacks and beverages at the event! Talk about Healthy Girl Power!

This woman stood on a street in London – completely exposed. Her sign reads:

“I am standing for anyone who has struggled with an eating disorder or self-esteem issue like me… To support self-acceptance, draw a ‘heart’ on my body.”

I love this video the more and more that I think about it. Eating disorders are not an issue that I ever give much thought to, I forget that women really do struggle with it.. It is real. I also think that a vast amount of society struggles with a low self-esteem. Why? It is so heartbreaking. I love what this woman is doing by asking people to draw a heart on her body. The visual representation of the heart can be viewed positive on both ends.

Those who sign: We love you for you.

This woman when she sees herself in the mirror: I am loved.

“Safe water for the first time for her baby! This mother had to walk for about an hour with her son to get to the distribution site. They arrived with their cups ready!” (image via Operation Blessing Instagram)

My husband and I have a friend who recently started working with Operation Blessing. I follow him on Instagram and Facebook and on a daily basis he posts inspiring pictures of women and children drinking their first glass of fresh water in their entire lifetime. He shares pictures of families that have walked hours to receive fresh water, pictures of children receiving aid after natural disasters, and pictures of demonstrations on how to properly disinfect drinking water. His pictures made me more interested in the organization.

via operationblessing.com

After researching more I was blown away at how Operation Blessing has helped other countries. They work to put an end to human trafficking, they aid in disaster relief, they care for sick and orphaned children, and they bring safe water systems to impoverished communities with hazardous water sources. I spent almost an hour on their website reading the stories of some of the women and children.. I walked away with goosebumps! What these people are doing is truly inspiring!

1 Comment

Love this MM!!! That Jenji Kohan seems like such a groovy chick!! The story of the women in Cameroon is so disturbing, yet it brings to light the extreme injustice that so many women face in some (so many) areas of the world. Thank you for composing such a beautiful piece Kristin!!!